Shakhtar Donetsk are heading directly to the next Champions League group stage after Villarreal were eliminated in the semi-finals.

Amid so much turmoil in Ukrainian football, the upgrade should guarantee tens of millions of euros in Champions League prize money next season for Shakhtar, which has been touring Europe playing charity games in exile resulting from Russia’s invasion.

Villarreal’s loss to Liverpool ensured the title will be won by a team that already qualified for next season’s Champions League through their domestic league finish.

The entry in next season’s competition that Uefa protects for the defending champions can now pass to the highest-ranked national league that does not already have a direct place in the group stage starting in September.

That country is No. 12-ranked Ukraine and the top club is Shakhtar, which had been scheduled to enter the playoffs round in August.

Shakhtar led the Ukraine Premier League standings when the season was abandoned last month with no official title to be awarded. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. Uefa should formally confirm Ukraine’s allocation of European competition entries within weeks.

The financial security offered by Champions League should help Shakhtar find stability amid uncertainty for Ukraine football.

Bournemouth return to Premier League

Bournemouth earned promotion to the Premier League with a 1-0 home win over Nottingham Forest in the second-tier Championship on Tuesday, sewing up second-place with one game to spare.

Bournemouth, together with Championship title winners Fulham, secure automatic promotion and will return to the Premier League after two years while Forest will go into the playoffs for the final spot.

Striker Kieffer Moore broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute, side-footing powerfully home after Philip Billing found him with a clever free-kick having shaped to shoot.

“We locked eyes and just saw the space. Thankfully Phil (Billing) played me the ball and the rest is history,” Moore told Sky Sports.

After a slow start to the second period, Bournemouth got on top.